Certification of the European Union for biofuels
There are different types of biofuel: those who consume soil and edible raw materials and those that promote sustainable development. The system for certifying sustainable biofuels launched by the European Commission promotes these days just the production of those fuels that represent a viable alternative to fossil fuels, encouraging a healthy carbon cycle, preserving soils that are rich, like that of tropical forests and, at the same time reducing CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.
Both biofuels locally produced and imported products used within the EU borders will have to meet certain sustainability criteria: in the first place should not be attributable to crops that once housed rainforest or natural grassland with a unique ecosystem, and even feature more importantly, they keep the emissions of greenhouse gases, generated by the entire chain of production, at least at lower levels by 35% compared to fossil fuels. A minimum threshold that is set to increase over time.
The 27 member states will be required to verify these requirements using national systems or by joining the voluntary certification system recognized by the European Commission, which for now includes the following 7 bodies:
- ISCC (German system (funded by the government) for all types of biofuels);
- Bonsucro EU (Roundtable on biofuels made from sugar cane, primarily focused on Brazil);
- RTRS EU RED (Roundtable on biofuels made from soy, mainly focused on Argentina and Brazil);
- RSB EU RED (Roundtable on all types of biofuels);
- 2BSvs (French system for all types of biofuels);
- RSBA (system reserved for the supply chain of Abengoa);
- Greenergy (system reserved ethanol from sugar cane from Brazil Greenergy).
Recalling that the European Commission intends to increase, by 2020, the share of renewable energy in the transport sector by at least 10%, we reiterate that the use of "green fuels" will help to accelerate the development and allow a reduction of up to 80% of emissions from fossil fuels used by the current modes of transport.
20/08/2011
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Source:
Italian version of CercaGeometra.it